An Insight i nto the Future

1. An Insight into the Future 組員: 鄭擇育 4000Z085 廖英智 4000Z040 黃宇翔 4000Q096 翁惠珍 4011Z006 陳宛均 4000Z013

2. MAIN IDEAS OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH • Divination is the attempt to discover future events through unconventional methods. • Palm reading is a popular method of divination, found in both Eastern and Western culture .

3. FIRST PARAGRAPH-WORDS • Unconventional：Not bound by established customs • Circumstances：Something relative to a fact • Claim：To demand as a right, or by authority • Financial：Pertaining to money • Analyzing：To separate into parts

4. MAIN IDEAS OF THE SECOND PARAGRAPH • Fortune-telling has a long history. It was engaged by kings and other rulers. • The outcome of predictions could influence the royal court in many ways.

5. SECOND PARAGRAPH-WORDS • Routinely: it is done as a normal part of process or job • Consult: to ask for information or advice from someone because it is their job to know something • Astrologer: a person who practices divination through planets and stars • Court: the place where a king or queen lives and works • Royal: relating to or belonging to a king or queen • Diagnose: to find out what illness someone has • Interpret: to explain the meaning of something

6. MAIN IDEAS OF THE THIRD PARAGRAPH • Divination was so important to people in the ancient world • People could use divination to plan something with some of certainty that a particular outcome was likely.

7. THIRD PARAGRAPH-WORDS • natural disaster(天然災害) – a catastrophe caused by forces of nature • plague(瘟疫)- a disastrous evil or a affliction • particular(具體;詳情)- information and details about someone or something • outcome (結果)- the possible or likely result of something

8. MAIN IDEAS OF THE FOURTH PARAGRAPH • Although unfounded, the practice of divination must have given people in the ancient world a sense of control over their environment.

9. FOURTH PARAGRAPH-WORDS • unfounded-Not founded; not built or established • divination-a prediction uttered under divine inspiration • 3. ancient-very old • 4. evident- an observable change in behavior • 5.achieve- To obtain, or gain, as the result of exertion; to succeed in gaining; to win • 6.mastery- the act of mastering or subordinating someone • 7.mercy-kindness; compassion • 8.fragile- easily broken or damaged or destroyed • 9.financial-monetary;pecuniary • 10.emotional- of persons excessively affected by emotion

10. Main ideas of the Fifth paragraph • 1. Humans can predict some certainty to the future, but do not know precisely what will happen in the exact time. • 2. The great majority of modern people believe divination because they desire certainty and security.

11. Fifth paragraph － Words and Phrases • uncertain (adj.) : unclear, not sure不明確的 • ancestor (n.) : member of your family from long ago 祖先 • advance (v.) : to go or move something forward 進步,發展 • nonetheless (adv.) : nevertheless, despite what has just been said 但是,仍然 • precisely (adv.) : exactly精確地 • majority (n.) : the larger part of something大多數 • reasonably (adv.) : in a way that shows good judgment 合理地 • divination (n.) : the act or skill of discovering what will happen in the future占卜,預測 • fulfill (v.) : to do something as promised履行,實現